NAR chief lobbyist to retire

Jerry Giovaniello has been with the trade group for 37 years

NAR chief lobbyist to retire

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has announced that its long-time senior vice president and chief lobbyist, Jerry Giovaniello, will retire at the end of this year.

Giovaniello joined the trade association in 1981 from Capitol Hill, where he was chief of staff for two members of Congress from California. He was appointed as NAR’s chief lobbyist in 2001.

According to NAR, Giovaniello’s direction allowed it to oppose a flat tax proposal in the late '90s, to permanently prohibit banks from entering real estate brokerage, and to persuade Congress to pass mortgage debt relief and a first-time homebuyer tax credit following the financial collapse. Additionally, Giovaniello helped secure the continuation of the National Flood Insurance Program and led efforts to persuade policymakers against slashing homeowner tax benefits, like the mortgage interest and property tax deductions.

"Jerry has had a distinguished nearly four-decade career at NAR, protecting the interests of realtors, the real estate industry, and current and future property owners. NAR's advocacy efforts have greatly expanded and grown in influence in recent decades, and Jerry has contributed greatly to those efforts," NAR CEO Bob Goldberg said. "On behalf of NAR's leadership, staff, and a million-plus members, I thank Jerry for his dedication and hard work, which will have a lasting and meaningful impact, and I congratulate him on his retirement."

Giovaniello will remain with NAR until a successor is named, which is expected before the end of the year. NAR will begin a national search for a new chief lobbyist later in May to be overseen by NAR Senior Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Bill Malkasian.

 

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